Edexcel Biology AS 2016 new spec [Exam discussion thread]

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Original post by Kk1999

Exactly Granola!!1
I found i completely different and was writing till the last minute..
this years paper one for physics and bio were totally different.. lets see chemistry tomorrow..

Glad I wasn't the only one!! That last question savage...

Was it me or did it seem like there was hundreds of 4 mark and 6 markers?? And so many lines for answer space I felt like I had to write an essay every time...

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 21

username2316067

my timing was terrible. so much of the spec didn't come up.

the rate question I had as 125 nmoldm^-3/min ?

Reply 22

Gran0la

Original post by poppygracexx

Same, I didnt even understand the last few questions about the baby and the heart defect, made up some biology there lol

Hahah omg me too

Reply 23

poppygracexx

Original post by Theragingninja

It was D which was the largest value something like 45690, there should be equal amounts of C and G so equal amounts of A and T.

oh!

i think i got aU

Reply 24

2807

Original post by hunhan

LOL i described both bc i didnt know which it was

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See I was going to do the same but then the question said how does 'this' lipoprotein affect blood cholesterol levels. Then again I couldn't think of four marks worth of stuff so you were probably right.

Reply 25

Gran0la

Original post by hunhan

same, i ran out of time so i had to skip a 4 mark question and a few of their questions were really confusing?!!
or was it just me..

i didnt think the paper was horrible but it wasnt too great either :frown:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Yeah definitely!! There were some really hard questions! I had to cut quite a few answers short because there literally wasnt enough time...

Now we just have to pray for low grade boundaries...

Reply 26

Gran0la

Original post by jayokay

did anyone else get 25% for Q1a?

Yeah I did :smile:

Reply 27

username613045

Original post by Gran0la

How did everyone find the exam?

I thought it seemed quite different to the other past papers... and really short for time!

Well it's the new spec, so there aren't really any past papers...
I only just had enough time to finish the last question. I think it went better than my maths exams though

Reply 28

Science_help

Original post by Gran0la

How did everyone find the exam?

I thought it seemed quite different to the other past papers... and really short for time!

Original post by Kk1999

Exactly Granola!!1
I found i completely different and was writing till the last minute..
this years paper one for physics and bio were totally different.. lets see chemistry tomorrow..

Original post by hunhan

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Original post by nikeey_xo

hey anyone know if there's a thread for the old syllabus ?

Original post by Marvin16

I thought this paper was too long, Everyone seemed to run out of time. Also what was the Pre-Natal test?

Original post by Kk1999

Pre-Natal test was not there in the paper!!

Original post by jayokay

it was such a long paper I missed out the last question :s-smilie:

Original post by strawberrypocky

I think it was chronic villus sampling

Original post by Science_help

yes it was, one marker followed up by a 3 marker related to it

Original post by Kk1999

can u help me remember?

Original post by Joannarobinsonx

Can anyone remember what the questions were on??

Original post by Theragingninja

It was chorionic villus sampling

Original post by hunhan

i think the 3 marker that followed asked why the couple might choose not to do the test or something like that

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Original post by jayokay

did anyone else get 25% for Q1a?

Original post by 2807

For the triglyceride question, did you say it was HDL or LDL? I put LDLs and talked about how they increased blood cholesterol but I really wasn't sure

Original post by Theragingninja

State a pre-natal test that could be carried out 11 weeks into pregnancy and then it asked to explain why the mother might choose not to have the pre-natal test

Original post by poppygracexx

yes i found it really short for time!! didnt manage to look over my questions or complete them all. what did you get on the adenine question? i said 9000, dont know how we should have worked it out

Original post by Theragingninja

I talked about both cause they didn't really specify what type of lipoprotein was formed

Original post by hunhan

LOL i described both bc i didnt know which it was

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Original post by Science_help

it was on the first page, right after the 2 marker on genetic diagram.

depending on wether you are doing new spec??

lets try to get this mark scheme done

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4121713&p=65205791#post65205791

Reply 29

Science_help

Original post by _wsburn

It was a saturated triglyceride (no double bonds). Therefore increased both HDL and LDL levels, however increased LDL levels by greater amount.

Original post by Theragingninja

It was D which was the largest value something like 45690, there should be equal amounts of C and G so equal amounts of A and T.

Original post by Gran0la

Original post by _wsburn

my timing was terrible. so much of the spec didn't come up.

the rate question I had as 125 nmoldm^-3/min ?

Original post by Gran0la

Hahah omg me too

Original post by poppygracexx

oh!

i think i got aU

Original post by 2807

Original post by Gran0la

Yeah definitely!! There were some really hard questions! I had to cut quite a few answers short because there literally wasnt enough time...

Now we just have to pray for low grade boundaries...

Original post by Gran0la

Yeah I did :smile:

Original post by horsewithnoname

Well it's the new spec, so there aren't really any past papers...
I only just had enough time to finish the last question. I think it went better than my maths exams though

Original post by Kk1999

I was given a pastpaper to solve and found a similar question..Describe the difference between the adult human heart and a new born's...
I wrote its very small.. :tongue:

and it looks very soft lol!!
My bio Ma'am gave me a piece of her mind and had a hearty laugh as well

lets try to get this mark scheme sorted

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4121713&p=65205791#post65205791

Reply 30

Gran0la

Original post by _wsburn

my timing was terrible. so much of the spec didn't come up.

the rate question I had as 125 nmoldm^-3/min ?

I worked it out in seconds and got 2.083 nmoldm^-3/s

Pretty sure they both work out to be the same thing

yes, it does :smile:

I don't know what to make of the exam. It was hard but my boyfriend and I and our friends have send it just depends on how picky the mark scheme is. Some of it I found difficult, but what did you put for the investigation of cell permeability of the red cabbage leaf? I put use the same cabbage but leave it in test tubes at the same temp for different periods of time. My friend put use different ages of cabbage, but surely the results wouldn't be as viable because different cabbages are being used. I did put other stuff down but for that one bit what did you guys put?

Reply 33

ImBear

For the last question I believe the aorta and pulmonary artery were on the wrong sides of the heart, this is why the hole saved the babys life, de oxygenated blood could move across into the left (their left) ventricle and be pumped to the lungs, and oxygenated could move into the right ventricle to be pumped into the aorta to be pumped around the body

Anybody else get this?

(edited 7 years ago)

I wrote the same

Original post by 2807

For the triglyceride question, did you say it was HDL or LDL? I put LDLs and talked about how they increased blood cholesterol but I really wasn't sure

I compared the difference between LDL and HDL and states that increasing level of LDL would increase cholesterol level if there isnt enough HDL to remove it. I don't know how to get 4 or 5 marks on this one.

Reply 36

JZ0120

Original post by ImBear

I have thought about this and I think this is right. But unfortunately I was running out of time and didn't write it down. I just wrote the heart muscle could get enough oxygen to contract and pump blood to body. I wish i could get 1 mark for this one. :frown:

Did the last 6 marks question related the hole or it is independent?

Reply 37

queen_pink

Yeah that paper was interesting, i also wrote that the pulmonary and aorta were on different sides, then the question after that were it asked why the baby didnt die i wrote that the blood pressure could be spread out or something since there was a hole in the septum i cant remember exactly , i missed out a 4 marker as i saw i was running out of time and wanted to answer the 6 marker.

andd the question about the composition of starch i wrote that amylopectin has 1-4and 1-6 glysodic bond so energy can be released quicker than amyylose as it only has 1-4 glycosidic bonds so its straight chained.

the adenine one i crossed 9000 because i took 4050x2 from 27000 and divivided it by two and 9000 was the closest although im not sure.

i wrote exocytosis for one of the reactions

Reply 38

THESTRESS

Hey guys, so for our upcoming edexcel exam about plants and development, do we need to know about the structure of a seed? In thw textbook it talks about it...but i dont know if we need to know it?

Reply 39

imogenr

Original post by THESTRESS

Hey guys, so for our upcoming edexcel exam about plants and development, do we need to know about the structure of a seed? In thw textbook it talks about it...but i dont know if we need to know it?

According to the spec, all we nee to know is "how the uses of plant fibres and starch may contribute to sustainability, including plant-based products to replace oil-based plastics" and the methods of seed banks in the conservation of endangered species and their genetic diversity.

In other words, I don't think we need to know too much detail about them :smile: